Disposable carpet made from polyethylene coated sheet material with moisture absorbing paper layers



June 30, 1970 G. w. wYANT DISPOSABLE CARPET MADE FROM POLYETHYLENE COATED SHEET MATERIAL WITH MOISTURE ABSORBING PAPER LAYERS Filed July 28, 1957 INVENTOR G. WyANT ArroRNEys United States Patent O 87, 3 Int. Cl. A471 13/16 U.S. Cl. lis-215 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable carpet for winter use formed of a bottom layer of sheet paper coated on its upper surface with a waterproof material, a second layer of plastic material and a top layer of twisted or woven graft paper; the lower layer being larger in size than the other two layers and having its peripheral edges folded upwards and inwards over the peripheral edges of the top layer and bonded thereto.

The present invention relates to a carpet or rug and particularly to an economically produced and disposable carpet suitable for winter use, although use in other seasons is of course possible.

There is a growing demand for carpeting in building lobbies, elevators and similar places to absorb and retain tracked-in winter moisture and soil such as snow, mud, and the various snow melting salts presently employed. At present cotton rugs or more permanent rubber of plastic backed textile rugs are used for this purpose but maintenance of such rugs is a problem and over a season the cleaning thereof becomes an expensive item.

The present invention proposes a durable but inexpensively produced and disposable carpet manufactured `from cheaply produced materials such as paper or the like and which may be replaced every week or two at less cost than the cleaning bill for ordinarily used carpets.

In the preferred construction of a carpet or rug in accordance with the present invention a bottom layer of inexpensive sheet material such as paper is coated on its upper surface Iwith a waterproof coating of for example polyethylene, and one or more layers of moisture absorbing sheet material such as kraft paper towelling are placed on the bottom layer, and a layer of twisted or woven carpeting of for example kraft paper provides the top surface of the carpet. In the preferred construction the length and width of the bottom layer are somewhat greater than the dimensions of the other layers whereby the edges of the bottom layer may be folded over the top layer and sealed thereto.

The life expectancy of such a carpet has been found to be a week or two or more under extreme conditions, and the economics in manufacture makes it possible to replace badly soiled carpets when necessary at a cost cheaper than normal cleaning services.

It is a principal object of the present invention then to provide an inexpensively manufactured and disposable carpet or rug.

It is a further object to provide a disposable carpet or rug constructed of layers of inexpensively produced material such as paper or the like, with the edges of the layers sealed together.

Another object is to provide a disposable carpet constructed of layers of inexpensive material such as kraft paper or the like, having a top layer of twisted or woven material, a bottom layer of sheet material having a waterproofing layer on its upper surface facing the top layer,

3,517,407 Patented June 30, 1970 "ice and one or more intermediate water-absorbing layers between the top and bottom layers, the layers being sealed together around the periphery of the carpet.

Still another object is to provide a moisture absorbent and soil retaining disposable rug having three or more layers of inexpensive sheet material such as paper, the bottom layer being coated on its upper surface 'with a waterproofing layer, and the edges of the bottom layer being folded over the periphery of the upper layers and sealed thereto.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accom panying drawings wherein:

F'IG. 1 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of a carpet or mat according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective enlarged view of one corner of the carpet shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 of FdG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of one end of the sectional view shown in FIG. 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings where one preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, the carpet consists of a bottom layer '2, intermediate moisture absor-bing layers `4 and 6, and a top woven layer v8. The upper `surface of the bottom layer 2 is provided with a waterproof coating 10 such as polyethylene. This prevents moisture penetrating downwardly through the woven layer 8 and the intermediate layers 4 and 6 from wetting and weakening the bottom layer. The bottom layer 2 is cut somewhat longer and wider than the other layers, and the edges 12 and 14 of the bottom layer may be folded over the edges of the other layers and heat sealed thereto giving the carpet an enhanced appearance and providing a durable carpet. This heat sealing technique is clearly shown in FIG. 4 and illustrates the contact between the polyethylene coating 10 and the woven layer 8 lwith a bond between the polyethylene layer and the woven layer being effected by heat and pressure in known manner.

The top layer 8 is preferably twisted or woven kraft paper yarn carpeting which acts to remove soil from boots or shoes, and also to protect the under plies of carpeting from abrasive action, and also of course to add a pleasing appearance to the carpet.

rl`he intermediate layers 4 and 6 are preferably plain kraft paper towelling and while any number of plies may be employed two layers are preferred, both for the sake of economy in manufacture and for durability in construction.

The bottom layer 2 may also be plain kraft paper provided on its upper side with a coating of polyethylene for purposes as desiribed above to prevent wetting and weakening of the layer and to provide means for sealing the carpet components to a durable and unitary article.

Water and sludge when scraped from boots or shoes on the woven layer 8, will penetrate down through the open woven layer and soaik into the intermediate layers 4 and 6, where by capillary action between the two layers the moisture will be transferred throughout the carpet giving it a high moisture absorbent capacity.

A moisture saturated carpet according to the present invention will dry overnight ready lfor use again theV next day, and it has been found that in normal entrance hall winter use a carpet will last for ten days to two weeks.

It is preferred for economy and disposability to use a relatively tough paper material, for example, kraft paper, in the manufacture of the carpet although other competitively priced materials could be used either alone or in combination with paper.

The carpeting may be of any desired colour and the edges 12 and 14 of the bottom layer 2 may be contrasting in colour to the twisted or woven layer Y8 yfor appearance.

A carpet according to the present invention when laid 3 on a oor fire resistant, and a cigarette or cigar dropped on the rug will simply smolder and will not ignite the closely packed layers under normal circumstances. Holwever if the possibility of tire is of concern the carpet could be treated with a fire inhibiting agent during manufacture.

What I claim is:

1. A carpet comprising a bottom layer of sheet material coated on its upper surface with polyethylene, a top layer off twisted or woven material, and one or more intermediate layers of moisture absorbing paper, the said bottom layer having its peripheral edges folded over the said top layer and heat sealed thereto by heat and pressure.

2. ICarpet according to claim 1 wherein the bottom layer is ykraft Wrapping paper, the one or mort intermediate layers are kraft paper towelling, and the top layer is twisted or woven kraft paper carpeting.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,826,778 3/1958 Highlen 15-215 2,843,868 7/1958 Borgstrom 15-215 JOHN T. GOOLKASLAN, Primary Examiner I. D. SMITH, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. XJR. 

